4th of July Canyon

I went with my family to 4th of July Canyon over the weekend. The leaves are fading and falling quickly in this large grove of Maple Trees. Here is one image I created of the experience.

I Heart Faces Challenge: Friendship

I am entering the I Heart Faces monthly challenge with this photo of siblings. The theme is friendship. I've been impressed with the quality of the blog posts at I Heart Faces. They are very informative to anyone interested in improving their people photography!

I took this photo a couple of years ago, and even have it printed large (20 inch by 30 inch canvas wrap) in my house. I focused on capturing their hands holding, and in the process also captured their thoughtful faces and the Star Wars themed shirt he wore.  Not only does it capture the friendship between them, but the contrast between who each of them is - her shirt with cat print and his with Star Wars. I took this right before the sun went down, and changed the color in post processing.

My aperture is f/2, speed 1/100s - barely fast enough for catching them with my 85mm lens!

Outdoor Children Photography - Albuquerque

This morning a friend of mine brought her children over to take some photos. We took them (and mine) into the Open Space near my house, and we played and photographed. The light was beautiful, and we used my silver reflector to add a little light. Beautiful children!

Here are a few of my favorites.

Downtown Albuquerque Senior Photography Session

I met up with another lovely high school senior on Saturday morning. We parked downtown and had fun trying out different locations. Brianna is going to cosmetology school full time, having finished most of her high school studies last year, so we included a few photos with that theme. She also brought her sweet energetic dog!

We finished off taking photos by Fire Station #1. Brianna's dad only recently retired from the fire crew, so this was a fitting setting for her. The crew on duty graciously allowed us to use their trucks which were parked in front.


We were taking photos from around 9:30AM to 1PM, so we looked not only for good settings, but also for places where I could work with the light. Her mom was on hand to hold the dog, and my reflector for me! We took many great photos, and I am still editing them, but here are a few that I love:

SWPPA Convention Family Trip

My family drove to the Dallas area over the weekend, so my husband and I could attend the Southwest Professional Photographer's Association (SWPPA) conference. As a member of both New Mexico PPA and International PPA, we could attend this. It was neat to go to classes taught by some great photographers in the field. It was also a chance to see my husband's family who lives nearby, and the grandparents kept our children so we could attend! We spent one last day with them before driving home yesterday.

Here are a couple of photos of my kids exploring. When we went on a little hike with Grandpa. My oldest brought along a little notebook and of her own volition was going from one plant or object to the next, drawing them. My littlest was thrilled with exploring the little lake's edge.

I will finish with a few quotes from a celebrated photographer, Joel Grimes, who we heard at the convention.

The risk of being unique: "rejection"

"A technical instrument can never make a creative decision. This is reserved for the human mind."

"From the moment of conceptualizing an idea, to the moment when you hang a print on the wall, this is a series of creative choices that only you an artist can make."